Information processing apparatus, information processing method, and storage medium

ABSTRACT

An information processing apparatus according to the present invention includes: a biometric information acquisition unit that acquires biometric information of a user at an arrival airport; a biometric matching unit that performs a matching process of the biometric information with registered biometric information of a registrant who deposited a baggage with the airline at a departure airport; and a guide unit that outputs guide information including a location of pickup in the arrival airport and a start time of pickup of the baggage associated with the registered biometric information to the user who is authenticated as the same person as the registrant by the matching process.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus, aninformation processing method, and a storage medium.

BACKGROUND ART

PTL 1 discloses a boarding security check system that automaticallyperforms procedures for a user (passenger) to deposit baggage with anairline when the user (passenger) boards an aircraft.

CITATION LIST Patent Literature

PTL 1: Japanese Patent No. 4528262

SUMMARY OF INVENTION Technical Problem

The system described in the PTL 1 does not suggest to assist users topick up their baggage after the aircraft arrives at an arrival airport.For this reason, there is a need for a system that allows users toefficiently pick up their baggage at the arrival airport.

Therefore, in view of the above problems, an object of the presentinvention is to provide an information processing apparatus, aninformation processing method, and a storage medium that enable users toefficiently pick up their baggage at the arrival airport.

Solution to Problem

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided aninformation processing apparatus including: a biometric informationacquisition unit that acquires biometric information of a user at anarrival airport; a biometric matching unit that performs a matchingprocess of the biometric information with registered biometricinformation of a registrant who deposited a baggage with the airline ata departure airport; and a guide unit that outputs guide informationincluding a location of pickup in the arrival airport and a start timeof pickup of the baggage associated with the registered biometricinformation to the user who is authenticated as the same person as theregistrant by the matching process.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is providedan information processing method including: acquiring biometricinformation of a user at an arrival airport; performing a matchingprocess of the biometric information with registered biometricinformation of a registrant who deposited a baggage with the airline ata departure airport; and outputting guide information including alocation of pickup in the arrival airport and a start time of pickup ofthe baggage associated with the registered biometric information to theuser who is authenticated as the same person as the registrant by thematching process.

According to yet another aspect of the present invention, there isprovided a storage medium storing a program that causes a computer toperform: acquiring biometric information of a user at an arrivalairport; performing a matching process of the biometric information withregistered biometric information of a registrant who deposited a baggagewith the airline at a departure airport; and outputting guideinformation including a location of pickup in the arrival airport and astart time of pickup of the baggage associated with the registeredbiometric information to the user who is authenticated as the sameperson as the registrant by the matching process.

Advantageous Effects of Invention

According to the present invention, an information processing apparatus,an information processing method, and a storage medium that enable usersto efficiently pick up baggage at an arrival airport can be provided.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the overallconfiguration of an information processing system according to a firstexample embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of information stored in a userinformation DB according to the first example embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of information stored in a firstbaggage information DB according to the first example embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of information stored in a secondbaggage information DB according to the first example embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of information stored in arequired time information DB according to the first example embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing an example of a hardware configurationof a management server according to the first example embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing an example of a hardware configurationof a check-in terminal according to the first example embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing an example of a hardware configurationof an automatic baggage check-in machine according to the first exampleembodiment.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing an example of a hardware configurationof a signage terminal according to the first example embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a layout diagram showing an example of a location of thesignage terminal in an airport according to the first exampleembodiment.

FIG. 11 is a sequence chart showing an example of a process in acheck-in procedure by the information processing system according to thefirst example embodiment.

FIG. 12 is a sequence chart showing an example of a process in a baggagecheck-in procedure by the information processing system according to thefirst example embodiment.

FIG. 13 is a sequence chart showing an example of a process between thefirst airport system and the second airport system by the informationprocessing system according to the first example embodiment.

FIG. 14 is a sequence chart showing an example of a process during theconveyance of trustee baggage at an airport in the second country of theinformation processing system according to the first example embodiment.

FIG. 15 is a sequence chart showing an example of a guide process ofbaggage information in the airport of the second country performed bythe information processing system according to the first exampleembodiment.

FIG. 16 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed on asignage terminal according to the first example embodiment.

FIG. 17 is a diagram showing an example of information stored in thefirst baggage information DB according to a second example embodiment.

FIG. 18 is a diagram showing an example of information stored in thesecond baggage information DB according to the second exampleembodiment.

FIG. 19 is a sequence chart showing an example of a process in thebaggage check-in procedure of the information processing systemaccording to the second example embodiment.

FIG. 20 is a sequence chart showing an example of a process during theconveyance of the trustee baggage at an airport in the second country ofthe information processing system according to the second exampleembodiment.

FIG. 21 is a sequence chart showing an example of a guide process ofbaggage information in the airport of the second country performed bythe information processing system according to the second exampleembodiment.

FIG. 22 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed on thesignage terminal according to the second example embodiment.

FIG. 23 is a schematic diagram showing an example of an appearance ofthe entrance gate terminal and the exit gate terminal constituting theautomatic customs gate apparatus according to a third embodiment.

FIG. 24 is a block diagram showing an example of a hardwareconfiguration of the entrance gate terminal according to the thirdembodiment.

FIG. 25 is a block diagram showing an example of a hardwareconfiguration of an exit gate terminal according to the thirdembodiment.

FIG. 26 is a block diagram showing an example of a hardwareconfiguration of an operation terminal according to the thirdembodiment.

FIG. 27 is a sequence chart showing an example of a process in a customsinspection procedure of the information processing system according tothe third embodiment.

FIG. 28 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed on theautomatic customs gate apparatus according to the third embodiment.

FIG. 29 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed on theoperation terminal according to the third embodiment.

FIG. 30 is a sequence chart showing an example of a process in thecustoms inspection procedure of the information processing systemaccording to a fourth embodiment.

FIG. 31 is a sequence chart showing an example of a process in thecustoms inspection procedure of the information processing systemaccording to a fifth embodiment.

FIG. 32 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed on theoperation terminal according to the fifth embodiment.

FIG. 33 is a sequence chart showing an example of a process in thecustoms inspection procedure of the information processing systemaccording to a sixth embodiment.

FIG. 34 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed on theoperation terminal according to the sixth embodiment.

FIG. 35 is a functional block diagram of an information processingapparatus according to a seventh embodiment.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

Exemplary example embodiments of the present invention will be describedbelow with reference to the drawings. Throughout the drawings, the sameelements or corresponding elements are labeled with the same references,and the description thereof may be omitted or simplified.

First Example Embodiment

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the overallconfiguration of an information processing system according to thepresent example embodiment. The information processing system accordingto the present example embodiment is a computer system that supports aseries of procedures each performed in a first country and a secondcountry that is different from the first country, for a user(passenger). The user is scheduled to depart the first country from anairport A1 by an aircraft and enter the second country via an airport A2in the second country, for example. The information processing system isoperated by a public institution such as an immigration control bureauor a trustee entrusted with the operation from such an institution, forexample. Although the present invention is described in the case of aninternational flight, the present invention is also applicable to adomestic flight.

As shown in FIG. 1 , the information processing system includes a firstairport system 1 and a second airport system 2. The first airport system1 and the second airport system 2 are connected via a network NW1. Thenetwork NW1 is formed of a wide area network (WAN) such as the Internet.Note that only two airport systems are shown in FIG. 1 for illustrativepurposes, but the number of airport systems included in the informationprocessing system is not limited to these.

The first airport system 1 is a computer system installed at the airportA1 in the first country, which manages various procedures for entry andexit of a user. The first airport system 1 includes a management server10, a check-in terminal 20, an automatic baggage check-in machine 30, abaggage conveyance apparatus 35, a security inspection apparatus 40, afirst automated gate apparatus 50, a boarding gate apparatus 60, asecond automated gate apparatus 70, an automatic customs gate apparatus80, a signage terminal 90, and a operation terminal 95. The managementserver 10 is connected to other devices via a network NW2. The networkNW2 is formed of the local area network (LAN), the WAN, a mobilecommunication network, or the like. The connection scheme may be awireless scheme without being limited to a wired scheme.

The second airport system 2 is a computer system installed at theairport A2 in the second country and is formed of the same equipment asthe first airport system 1. The system configuration of the secondairport system 2 can be understood by replacing “the first airportsystem” with “the second airport system” and “the first country” with“the second country” respectively, so a detailed explanation is omitted.

The management server 10 is an information processing apparatus thatmanages various procedures at the first country when the user U entersor departs the country. The management server 10 realizes functions suchas a control unit and a storage unit of the first airport system 1. Themanagement server 10 is installed in a facility of an airport company,an airline company, or the like, for example. Note that the managementserver 10 is not necessarily required to be a single server and may beconfigured as a group including a plurality of servers.

The management server 10 verifies the identity of the user by matching aface image (biometric information) captured by the automatic baggagecheck-in machine 30, the security inspection apparatus 40, the firstautomated gate apparatus 50, the boarding gate apparatus 60, the secondautomated gate apparatus 70, the automatic customs gate apparatus 80,and the signage terminal 90 with registered face images registered inthe database. The details will be described later.

The management server 10 includes a user information DB 11, a firstbaggage information DB 12, a second baggage information DB 13, and arequired time information DB 14. These databases are examples, and themanagement server 10 may additionally have other databases. Multipledatabases may also be consolidated into a single database.

The user information DB 11 is a database that stores passportinformation, boarding reservation information, and flight informationrelated to users. The first baggage information DB 12 is a database thatstores information on baggage (hereafter referred to as “trusteebaggage”) that users departing the first country have deposited with anairline prior to travel. The second baggage information DB 13 is adatabase that stores trustee baggage information related to usersentering the first country. The required time information DB 14 is adatabase that stores information such as the required time from a givenlocation to a baggage claim (baggage pickup site) in the airport and thedistance between locations.

When an aircraft departs from the airport A1 to the airport A2, thesecond baggage information DB 13 on the side of the second airportsystem 2 is sequentially updated based on baggage information extractedfrom the first baggage information DB 12 in the first airport system 1.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of information stored in the userinformation DB 11. Here, the user information DB 11 has data items of auser ID, a registered face image, a feature amount, a name of passenger,a reservation number, an origin, a destination, a date of flight, anairline code, a flight number, a seat number, a nationality, a passportnumber, a family name, a first name, a date of birth, a gender, atrustee baggage ID, and status TP1 to TP7. These data items areexamples, and the user information DB 11 may further include other dataitems.

The user ID is an identifier that uniquely identifies the user. In thepresent example embodiment, the user ID is issued provided that a resultof matching between a face image acquired by capturing the user having apassport in a check-in procedure and a passport face image read from thepassport is that the matching is successful.

In the present example embodiment, the expression “successful matching”indicates that a matching score regarding a similarity between biometricinformation of the user and registered biometric information of aregistrant is greater than or equal to a predetermined threshold.Further, the expression “unsuccessful matching” indicates that amatching score is less than the predetermined threshold.

Note that, although the term of “biometric information” in the presentexample embodiment indicates a face image and a feature amount extractedfrom the face image, biometric information is not limited to a faceimage and a face feature amount. That is, biometric authentication maybe performed by using an iris image, a fingerprint image, a palmprintimage, an auricle image, or the like as the biometric information on theuser.

The registered face image is a face image registered for the user. Thefeature amount is a value extracted from biometric information(registered face image). In the present example embodiment, theregistered face image may be registered in a procedure operation that isfirst performed in a series of procedure operations performed whendeparting the first country. It is preferable that a registered faceimage is registered based on consent from the user and then deletedafter a predetermined period.

For example, the registered face image can be registered in the userinformation DB 11 as well as the user ID, on the condition that thecaptured face image of the user holding the passport matches thepassport face image read from the passport in the check-in procedure atthe airport A1. Then, the registered face image, like the user ID, canbe deleted from the user information DB 11 when, for example, the userhas completed the customs inspection procedure at the airport A2 and hasfinished traveling.

As the registered face image, a face image captured in the firstprocedure operation at the location is used. The reason is that a faceimage captured in the first procedure operation is newer than a passportface image and that an image quality (appearance) is closer to an imagecaptured in a subsequent authentication process than the passport faceimage. Instead of a target face image, however, a passport face imagemay be set as a registered face image (registered biometricinformation).

The reservation number is an identifier that uniquely identifiesboarding reservation information. The airline code is an identifier thatuniquely identifies an airline company. The trustee baggage ID is anidentifier that uniquely identifies the trustee baggage. Status TP1 toTP7 indicate the progress (Incomplete/Completed) of a series ofscreening procedures (Check-in procedure/Baggage check-inprocedure/Security inspection procedure/Departure inspectionprocedure/Identity confirmation at boarding gate/Entry inspectionprocedure/Customs inspection procedure) in entry and exit of the user.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of information stored in thefirst baggage information DB 12. Here, the first baggage information DB12 has data items of a trustee baggage ID, a flight number, a status, acurrent location, a temporary storage location, and a final destination.These data items are examples, and the first baggage information DB 12may further include other data items.

The status indicates the conveyance status of the trustee baggage ofdeparted persons or prospective departing persons. For example, thestatus could be “in conveyance”, “under inspection”, “under temporarystorage”, “loading on aircraft completed”, or the like. The currentlocation is a location of the trustee baggage detected in the airport.The data of the current location is registered in association with thetrustee baggage ID, for example, by reading the baggage tag attached tothe trustee baggage by a tag reader (not shown) installed in theconveyance route of the trustee baggage. The temporary storage locationindicates containers, hangars, or the like, in which the trustee baggageof prospective departing persons is temporarily stored before beingconveyed to the final destination. The final destination indicates thelocation of the aircraft on which the trustee baggage will be loaded.

It is preferable that the status stored in the first baggage informationDB 12 can be checked in the first country by the user using a signageterminal 90 or a self-operation terminal. For example, the user cancheck the status of the trustee baggage as follow. First, the signageterminal 90 captures a face image of the user and transmits the faceimage of the user to the management server 10. Next, the managementserver 10 matches the face image received from the signage terminal 90with the registered face image of the registrant stored in the userinformation DB 11 to specify the user. Next, the management server 10refers to the first baggage information DB 12 with the baggage IDincluded in the user information of the identified user as a key, andidentifies the status and current location regarding the trustee baggageof the user. Then, the management server 10 makes the signage terminal90 display guide information including the status and the currentlocation. In this way, the user can easily check whether the trusteebaggage deposited with the airline has been properly loaded on theaircraft at the time of departure.

The method of checking status is not limited to this. For example, thesignage terminal 90 may provide the user with guide informationincluding status and the current location by printing it on paper.Further, the signage terminal 90 may provide the guide information tothe user by displaying a code such as a two-dimensional code recordingthe guide information. In this case, the user can easily capture thecode using a smartphone to store the guide information in thesmartphone.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of information stored in thesecond baggage information DB 13. Here, the second baggage informationDB 13 has data items of a trustee baggage ID, a flight number, a status,a current location, a temporary storage location, a baggage claim ID,and a start time of pickup. These data items are examples, and thesecond baggage information DB 13 may further include other data items.

The status indicates the status of transportation with respect to thetrustee baggage of entry persons or prospective entry persons. Forexample, statuses include “before loading/unloading operations”,“loading/unloading operations completed”, “in conveyance”, “underinspection”, “under temporary storage”, and “conveyance to the baggageclaim completed”. The baggage claim ID is an identifier that uniquelyidentifies a baggage claim as a location to pick up the trustee baggage.The start time of pickup is a time when the user can pick up the trusteebaggage in the baggage claim. The baggage claim ID and start time ofpickup associated with the aircraft may change accordingly as theairport is congested or the arrival gate changes.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the information stored in therequired time information DB 14. Here, the required time information DB14 has data items of a location ID, a baggage claim ID, a distancebetween locations, a means of transportation, and a required time. Thesedata items are examples, and the required time information DB 14 mayfurther include other data items.

The location ID is an identifier that uniquely identifies a locationwithin the airport. In the present example embodiment, the location IDindicates the location where the signage terminal 90 is installed. Thedistance between locations is a distance between two locationscorresponding to the location ID and the baggage claim ID, respectively.The means of transportation indicates a method the user can select tomove from the current location to the baggage claim. For example, themeans of transportation include walking, buses and trains. The means oftransportation varies depending on the size and facilities of theairport. The required time is a time necessary for a user to move fromtheir current location to the baggage claim. The required time is setfor each means of transportation.

The following is a description of the devices that work with themanagement server 10 in the first airport system 1 and the secondairport system 2 to perform procedures for users.

The check-in terminal 20 is installed in a check-in lobby or a check-incounter in the airport. Hereafter, a procedure area where the check-interminal 20 is installed is referred to as “touch point TP1”. Thecheck-in terminal 20 is a self-service terminal used by the user and isoperated by himself/herself to perform a check-in procedure (boardingprocedure). After completion of a check-in procedure at the touch pointTP1, the user moves to a location of the baggage claim or a securityinspection site.

The automatic baggage check-in machine 30 is installed in a regionadjacent to a baggage check-in counter (manned counter) or a region nearthe check-in terminal 20 in the airport. Hereafter, a procedure areawhere the automatic baggage check-in machine 30 is installed is referredto as “touch point TP2”. The automatic baggage check-in machine 30 is aself-service terminal used by the user U and is operated byhimself/herself to perform a procedure of checking in baggage that isnot carried in a passenger cabin. After completion of a baggage check-inprocedure, the user moves to the security inspection site. In a case ofthe user having no baggage to check in, the procedure at the touch pointTP2 is omitted.

The baggage conveyance apparatus 35 is installed in a backyard of theairport. The “baggage conveyance apparatus” may include the conveyancepaths constructed by belt conveyors, tag readers installed around thebelt conveyors to read tag information from baggage tags attached totrustee baggage, sorting devices to sort trustee baggage based on taginformation, and turntables installed in the baggage claim.

The baggage conveyance apparatus 35 automatically conveys the trusteebaggage of the departing persons from the touch point TP2 to theaircraft on which the user boards. In addition, the baggage conveyanceapparatus 35 automatically conveys the trustee baggage unloaded from theaircraft arriving at its destination to a baggage claim previouslyassociated with the flight number of the aircraft.

The security inspection apparatus 40 is installed in a securityinspection site within the airport (hereafter, referred to as “touchpoint TP3”). The “security inspection apparatus” in the present exampleembodiment may include a metal detector that checks whether or not theuser is wearing a metal object that can be a dangerous article, an X-rayinspection apparatus that uses X-ray to check whether or not there is adangerous article in carry-on baggage or the like, a passage controlapparatus that determines whether or not to permit passage of the user Uat the entrance or exit of the security inspection site, or the like.After completion of a security inspection procedure performed by thesecurity inspection apparatus 40 at the touch point TP3, the user movesto the immigration site.

The first automated gate apparatus 50 is installed in the departureinspection site in the airport (hereafter, referred to as “touch pointTP4”). The first automated gate apparatus 50 is an apparatus thatautomatically performs a departure inspection procedure for the user.After completion of the departure inspection procedure at the touchpoint TP4, the user moves to a departure area where duty-free shops orboarding gates are provided.

The boarding gate apparatus 60 is a gate apparatus installed for eachboarding gate (hereafter, referred to as “touch point TP5”) in theairport. The boarding gate apparatus 60 confirms whether or not the useris a passenger for an aircraft associated with the boarding gate. Aftercompletion of the procedure at the touch point TP5, the user can boardthe aircraft and departs the country to the second country. Thus, thecheck-in terminal 20, the automatic baggage check-in machine 30, thesecurity inspection apparatus 40, the first automated gate apparatus 50,and the boarding gate apparatus 60 are used when the user departs thecountry.

The second automated gate apparatus 70 is installed in the entryinspection site (hereafter, referred to as “Touch Point TP6”) in theairport. The second automated gate apparatus 70 is an apparatus thatautomatically performs a entry inspection procedure for users. The userwho can use the second automated gate apparatus 70 is, for example, aperson who has pre-registered for use of the second automated gateapparatus 70.

The automatic customs gate apparatus 80 is installed in a customsinspection site (hereafter, referred to as “touch point TP7”) in theairport. The automatic customs gate apparatus 80 is an apparatus thatautomatically performs a customs inspection procedure for users. Theuser who can use the automatic customs gate apparatus 80 is, forexample, a person who has pre-registered for use of the automaticcustoms gate apparatus 80. The user can enter the second country aftercompleting the procedure in touch point TP7. Thus, the second automatedgate apparatus 70 and the automatic customs gate apparatus 80 are usedwhen the user enters the country.

The signage terminal 90 is installed at any location in the airport. Thesignage terminal 90 is a display terminal for presenting various kindsof information received from the management server 10 to the user. Thesignage terminal 90 of the present example embodiment is arranged, forexample, on a moving route from the arrival gate of the aircraft to theentry inspection site or from the entry inspection site to the baggageclaim.

By transmitting a captured face image of the user standing in front ofthe terminal to the management server 10, the signage terminal 90receives, from the management server 10, guide information regardingsuch as identification information of the baggage claim for which theuser picks up the trustee baggage, the start time of pickup, the meansof transportation to the baggage claim. Details of the information willbe discussed later.

The operation terminal 95 is a terminal used by a staff member of anairline company or the like for operation at each touch point TP1 to P7.The operation terminal 95 is a personal computer, a tablet terminal, asmartphone, or the like, for example.

Next, a hardware configuration of a device will be described. The deviceis related to the creation of guide information in the present exampleembodiment among the multiple devices constituting the informationprocessing system described above. Note that, in multiple drawings,devices having the same name but different only by reference numeralsare devices having the same function, and therefore detailed descriptionthereof is omitted in the following drawings.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing an example of a hardware configurationof the management server 10. The management server 10 includes a centralprocessing unit (CPU) 101, a random access memory (RAM) 102, a read onlymemory (ROM) 103, a storage 104, a communication interface (I/F) 105, adisplay device 106, and an input device 107 as a computer that performscalculation, control, and storage. Respective devices are connected toeach other via a bus, a wiring, a drive device, or the like.

The CPU 101 is a processor having functions of performing apredetermined operation in accordance with a program stored in the ROM103 or the storage 104 and controlling each unit of the managementserver 10. The RAM 102 is formed of a volatile storage medium andprovides a temporary memory area required for the operation of the CPU101.

The ROM 103 is formed of a nonvolatile storage medium and storesnecessary information such as a program used for the operation of themanagement server 10. The storage 104 is formed of a nonvolatile storagemedium and stores a program used for operating the management server 10and data. The storage 104 is formed of a hard disk drive (HDD) or asolid state drive (SSD), for example.

The communication I/F 105 is a communication interface based on aspecification such as Ethernet (registered trademark), Wi-Fi (registeredtrademark), 4G, or the like and is a module used for communicating withanother device.

The display device 106 is a liquid crystal display, an organic lightemitting diode (OLED) display, or the like used for displaying a movingimage, a still image, a text, or the like and is used for presentinginformation to the user.

The input device 107 is a keyboard, a pointing device, a button, or thelike and accepts a user operation. The display device 106 and the inputdevice 107 may be integrally formed as a touch panel.

The CPU 101 loads a program stored in the ROM 103, the storage 104, orthe like into the RAM 102 and executes the program to perform apredetermined calculation process. Further, based on the program, theCPU 101 controls each unit of the management server 10, such as thecommunication I/F 105.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing an example of a hardware configurationof the check-in terminal 20. The check-in terminal 20 includes a CPU201, a RAM 202, a ROM 203, a storage 204, a communication I/F 205, adisplay device 206, an input device 207, a biometric informationacquisition device 208, a medium reading device 209, and a printer 210.Respective devices are connected to each other via a bus, a wiring, adrive device, or the like.

The biometric information acquisition device 208 is a device thatacquires a face image of the user as biometric information of the user.The biometric information acquisition device 208 is a digital camerahaving, for example, a complementary metal-oxide-Semiconductor (CMOS)image sensor, a charge coupled device (CCD) image sensor or the like aslight receiving elements. The biometric information acquisition device208, for example, captures a face image of the user standing in front ofthe device.

The medium reading device 209 is a device that reads information storedin a medium carried by the user. Examples of the medium reading device209 include a code reader, an image scanner, a contactless integratedcircuit (IC) reader, and an optical character reader (OCR) device. Inaddition, as a storage medium, may be, for example, a paper airlineticket, a mobile terminal displaying a receipt of an e-ticket, or thelike. Upon completion of the check-in procedure, the printer 210 printsa boarding pass printed with boarding information and guide informationon the procedure until boarding.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing an example of a hardware configurationof the automatic baggage check-in machine 30. The automatic baggagecheck-in machine 30 includes a CPU 301, a RAM 302, a ROM 303, a storage304, a communication I/F 305, a display device 306, an input device 307,a biometric information acquisition device 308, a medium reading device309, and an output device 310. Respective devices are connected to eachother via a bus, a wiring, a drive device, or the like.

The output device 310 is a device that outputs the baggage tag attachedto the trustee baggage. The baggage tag in the present exampleembodiment is an RFID tag equipped with an IC chip that stores taginformation such as trustee baggage ID, user ID, and flight number.Also, the output device 310 further outputs a baggage claim tagnecessary to redeem the trustee baggage after arriving at thedestination. The baggage tag or baggage claim tag is associated with atleast one of the passport number, the reservation number, and the userID.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing an example of a hardware configurationof the signage terminal 90. The signage terminal 90 includes a CPU 901,a RAM 902, a ROM 903, a storage 904, a communication I/F 905, a displaydevice 906, an input device 907, a biometric information acquisitiondevice 908, a medium reading device 909, and a printer 910. Respectivedevices are connected to each other via a bus, a wiring, a drive device,or the like.

In response to a print request from the user, the printer 910 printsguide information on paper medium. The guide information includesidentification information of the baggage claim to which the trusteebaggage of the user is to be conveyed, the distance from the currentlocation to the baggage claim and the required time, the start time ofpickup in the baggage claim, or the like.

Note that the hardware configuration shown in FIGS. 6 to 9 is anexample, a device other than the above may be added, or some of thedevices may not be provided. Further, some of the devices may bereplaced with another device having substantially the same function.Further, some function in the present example embodiment may be providedby another device via the network, or the functions in the presentexample embodiment may be distributed to a plurality of devices andimplemented therein. In such a way, the hardware configuration shown inFIGS. 6 to 9 can be changed as appropriate.

FIG. 10 is a layout diagram showing an example of a location of thesignage terminal 90 in the airport A2. Here, the signage terminal 90 isinstalled on a moving route from the arrival gate G of the airport A2 tothe entry inspection site (touch point TP6). In addition, a track islaid on the moving route so that the train T can move between a stationSt1 on the side of the arrival gate G and a station St2 on the side ofthe entry inspection site. There are also six baggage claims B in thearea inside the entry inspection site. After completing the entryinspection, the user picks up the trustee baggage at the baggage claim Band undergoes customs inspection procedure at the adjoining customsinspection site (touch point TP7).

Next, the operation of the device in the information processing systemaccording to the present example embodiment is explained with referenceto the drawings.

(Check-In Procedure)

FIG. 11 is a sequence chart showing an example of a process during thecheck-in procedure of the information processing system according to thepresent example embodiment. This process is performed when the userperforms the check-in procedure using the check-in terminal 20.

First, when an airline ticket medium such as a boarding ticket is heldover the reading unit of the medium reading device 209, the check-interminal 20 acquires boarding reservation information on the user fromthe airline ticket medium (step S101). The boarding reservationinformation includes user attribute information (family name, firstname, gender, etc.) and flight information (airline code, flight number,boarding date, origin (departure airport), stopover, destination(arrival airport), seat number, boarding time, arrival time, etc.).

Next, when a passport is held over the reading unit of the mediumreading device 209, the check-in terminal 20 acquires passportinformation on the user U from the passport (step S102). The acquiredpassport information includes a passport face image of the user,identity confirmation information, a passport number, information on apassport issuance country, or the like.

Next, the check-in terminal 20 captures a face image of the user as atarget face image by the biometric information acquisition device 208(step S103). Note that it is preferable that the check-in terminal 20display a screen for obtaining consent from the user before capturingthe face image.

Next, the check-in terminal 20 transmits a matching request of the faceimage to the management server 10 (step S104). The data of the matchingrequest includes the captured target face image and the passport faceimage.

Upon receiving the information from the check-in terminal 20, themanagement server 10 performs a one-to-one matching between the targetface image captured by the check-in terminal 20 and the passport faceimage of the user (step S105). The management server 10 transmits amatching result to the check-in terminal 20 (step S106).

Next, the check-in terminal 20 determines, based on the matching resultreceived from the management server 10, whether or not the check-inprocedure can be performed (step S107). When the check-in terminal 20determines that the check-in procedure can not be performed (step S107:NO), the check-in terminal 20 notifies the user of an error message(step S108) and the process ends.

On the other hand, when the check-in terminal determines that thecheck-in procedure can be performed (step S107: YES), the check-interminal 20 performs the check-in procedure such as confirmation of theitinerary and selection of the seat based on the input information ofthe user (step S109). Then, the check-in terminal 20 transmits aregistration request of the user information to the management server 10(step S110).

Next, the management server 10 issues a user ID (step S111). The user IDis set to a unique value based on, for example, the date and time ofprocess, the sequence number, or the like.

Next, the management server 10 sets the target face image as aregistered face image and registers the user information associating theuser ID, the registered face image and the boarding reservationinformation in the user information DB 11 (step S112), the managementserver 10 transmits the processing result to the check-in terminal 20(step S113). Data of the processing result include, for example,boarding gate numbers and guide information related to procedures untilboarding an aircraft.

In the present example embodiment, the reason why a face image (targetface image) captured at the location is used as the registered faceimage is that the validity period (life cycle) of the token ID is short,a captured image has an image quality (appearance) closer to an imagecaptured in a subsequent authentication process than a passport faceimage, or the like. Instead of the target face image (captured faceimage), however, a passport face image may be set as a registered faceimage (registered biometric information).

When the check-in terminal 20 receives the processing result from themanagement server 10, the check-in terminal 20 prints a boarding passwith boarding reservation information and guide information on theprocedure until boarding (step S114) and the process ends.

FIG. 12 is a sequence chart showing an example of a process in thebaggage check procedure by the information processing system accordingto the present example embodiment. This process is performed when theuser who has completed the check-in procedure performs the check-inprocedure as necessary.

First, when the automatic baggage check-in machine 30 detects a face ofthe user by the biometric information acquisition device 308, theautomatic baggage check-in machine 30 captures a face image of the user(step S201).

Next, the automatic baggage check-in machine 30 transmits the face imageof the user as the target face image to the management server 10 (stepS202). At this time, the automatic baggage check-in machine 30 requeststhe management server 10 to perform a one-to-N matching between thetarget face image of the user and a plurality of registered face imagesregistered in the user information DB 11 of the management server 10.

Upon receiving the target face image and the matching request from theautomatic baggage check-in machine 30, the management server 10 performsthe one-to-N matching between the target face image of the user and theregistered face image (step S203). The management server 10 transmits amatching result to the automatic baggage check-in machine 30 (stepS204). When the matching result indicates a successful matching, themanagement server 10 transmits the user information associated with theregistered face image to the automatic baggage check-in machine 30 alongwith the matching result.

Upon receiving the matching result from the management server 10, theautomatic baggage check-in machine 30 determines whether or not thebaggage check-in procedure of the user can be performed (step S205).When the automatic baggage check-in machine 30 determines that thebaggage checking procedure of the user can not be performed (step S205:NO), the automatic baggage check-in machine 30 notifies the user of anerror message (step S206) and the process ends.

On the other hand, when the automatic baggage check-in machine 30determines that the baggage check-in procedure of the user can beperformed (step S205: YES), the process proceeds to step S207.

In the step S207, the automatic baggage check-in machine 30 transmits anissue request of the trustee baggage ID to the management server 10.When the management server 10 issues a unique trustee baggage ID inresponse to the issue request (step S208), the management server 10transmits the trustee baggage ID to the automatic baggage check-inmachine 30 (step S209).

Next, the automatic baggage check-in machine 30 issues a baggage tag(step S210). The baggage tag stores the trustee baggage ID and userinformation received from the management server 10. The user attachesthe baggage tag to the trustee baggage in accordance with the guideinformation displayed on the display device 306 of the automatic baggagecheck-in machine 30.

Next, the automatic baggage check-in machine 30 starts to convey thetrustee baggage placed in a storage after the baggage tag is attached tothe trustee baggage (step S211).

Next, the automatic baggage check-in machine 30 transmits a databaseregistration/update request to the management server 10 (step S212).

Upon receiving the database registration/update request from theautomatic baggage check-in machine 30, the management server 10 updatesthe user information DB 11 to associate the trustee baggage ID with theuser ID and the registered biometric information (step S213).

Next, the management server 10 specifies the conveyance location of thetrustee baggage based on the flight number of the aircraft on which theuser is scheduled to board (step S214). Specifically, the managementserver 10 refers to an airport management table (not shown) thatassociates the flight number of the aircraft with the conveyancelocation of the trustee baggage to specify the conveyance location.

Then, the management server 10 registers the baggage information in thefirst baggage information DB 12 (step S215) and the process ends. Theregistered face image of the user information DB 11 and the baggageinformation of the first baggage information DB 12 are associated by thetrustee baggage ID.

(Coordination Between the Airport System of the First Country and theAirport System of the Second Country)

FIG. 13 is a sequence chart showing an example of a process between thefirst airport system 1 and the second airport system 2 in theinformation processing system according to the present exampleembodiment. This process is performed, for example, between the time theaircraft departs the airport A1 in the first country and the time theaircraft arrives at the airport A2 in the second country.

First, the management server 10 of the first airport system 1 determineswhether or not the aircraft has departed to the second country (stepS301). When the management server 10 of the first airport system 1determines that the aircraft has departed to the second country (stepS301: YES), the process proceeds to step S302.

On the other hand, when the management server 10 of the first airportsystem 1 determines that the aircraft has not departed to the secondcountry (step S301: NO), the process of step S301 is repeated at apredetermined cycle.

In step S302, the management server 10 of the first airport system 1extracts user information from the user information DB 11 with respectto the passengers of the aircraft departing for the second country.

Next, the management server 10 of the first airport system 1 extractsbaggage information from the first baggage information DB 12 using thetrustee baggage ID included in the user information as a key (stepS303).

Next, the management server 10 of the first airport system 1 transmitsthe extracted user information and baggage information to the secondairport system 2 of the second country to transmit a databaseregistration request (step S304).

Next, when the management server 10 of the second airport system 2receives the user information and baggage information related topassengers from the management server 10 of the first airport system 1,the management server 10 registers the user information in the userinformation DB 11 (step S305). That is, user information related to theperson scheduled to enter the country is registered in the userinformation DB 11 of the second country.

Next, the management server 10 of the second airport system 2 registersbaggage information in the second baggage information DB 13 (step S306).That is, the baggage information related to prospective entry persons isregistered in the second baggage information database 13 of the secondcountry. The status of baggage at the time of registration shall be, forexample, “in conveyance”.

Next, the management server 10 of the second airport system 2 determineswhether or not the aircraft has arrived at the airport A2 of the secondcountry (step S307). When the management server 10 of the second airportsystem 2 determines that the aircraft has arrived at the airport A2(step S307: YES), the process proceeds to step S308.

On the other hand, when the management server 10 of the second airportsystem 2 determines that the aircraft has not arrived at the airport A2(step S307: NO), the process of step S307 is repeated.

Next, the management server 10 of the second airport system 2 updatesthe user information DB 11 and the second baggage information DB 13,respectively (step S308). For example, the management server 10 of thesecond airport system 2 updates the status (TP6) of the entry inspectionprocedure in the user information DB 11 to “before the procedure” andthe status of the trustee baggage in the second baggage information DB13 to “before loading/unloading operations”.

When the trustee baggage of the passenger is unloaded from the aircraft,the management server 10 of the second airport system 2 performsconveyance and tracking of the trustee baggage in cooperation with thebaggage conveyance apparatus 35 (step S309).

(Tracking Trustee Baggage at Arrival Airport)

FIG. 14 is a sequence chart showing an example of the processing of theinformation processing system according to the present exampleembodiment during the conveyance of trustee baggage in the airport A2 ofthe second country. This process is performed continuously duringbusiness hours at the airport A2.

First, the baggage conveyance apparatus 35 determines whether or not tagreaders installed in a dispersed manner on the conveyance path havedetected the baggage tag of the baggage being conveyed on the beltconveyor (step S401).

When the baggage conveyance apparatus 35 determines that the baggage tagof the trustee baggage has been detected (step S401: YES), the processproceeds to step S402. On the other hand, when the baggage conveyanceapparatus 35 determines that the baggage tag of the trustee baggage hasnot been detected (step S401: NO), the process of step S401 is repeated.

In step S402, the baggage conveyance apparatus 35 reads the baggage tagof the trustee baggage by the tag reader and transmits tag informationand a location ID indicating the location of the tag reader to themanagement server 10. The tag information includes a trustee baggage ID.

Next, the baggage conveyance apparatus 35 transmits a database updaterequest to the management server 10 (step S403).

When receiving the tag information and the location ID from the baggageconveyance apparatus 35, the management server 10 updates the baggagelocation (current location) registered in the second baggage informationDB 13 using the information as a key (step S404).

(Guide for Picking Up Trustee Baggage)

FIG. 15 is a sequence chart showing an example of guide process ofbaggage information in the airport A2 of the second country performed bythe information processing system according to the present exampleembodiment.

First, the signage terminal 90 continuously or periodically capturesimages of an area in front of the signage terminal 90 by using thebiometric information acquisition device 908 and determines whether ornot the face of the user has been detected (step S501).

Next, the signage terminal 90 acquires, as a target face image, the faceimage of the user standing in front of the signage terminal 90 in acaptured image (step S502).

Next, the signage terminal 90 transmits data of the matching requestincluding the face image of the user as a target face image and alocation ID indicating the location of the signage terminal 90 to themanagement server 10 (step S503). In this way, the signage terminal 90requests the management server 10 to perform a one-to-N matching betweenthe captured target face image of the user and a plurality of registeredface images registered in the database of the management server 10.

Next, the management server 10 performs the one-to-N matching betweenthe target face image of the user received from the signage terminal 90and the registered face image stored in the user information DB 11 (stepS504). In this case, when the matching result is a successful matching,the user is authenticated as the same person as the registrant. The userID and the trustee baggage ID associated with the registered face imageare specified.

Next, the management server 10 references the second baggage informationDB 13 with the baggage ID specified by the matching process as a key andspecifies the baggage claim to which the baggage is to be conveyed (stepS505).

Next, the management server 10 references the location ID indicating acurrent location of the user and the required time information DB 14based on the baggage claim ID, and generates guide information includingthe means of transportation to the baggage claim, the required time, themap, the route, or the like (step S506).

Next, the management server 10 transmits the matching result and guideinformation to the signage terminal 90 (step S507). However, if the usercould not be authenticated in the matching process in step S504, theguide information is not included in the transmission data.

Next, the signage terminal 90 determines whether or not the guideinformation is included in the received data from the management server10 (step S508).

When the signage terminal 90 determines that the received data includesthe guide information (step S508: YES), the signage terminal 90 displaysguide information for the user (step S510), and the process proceeds tostep S511.

On the other hand, when the signage terminal 90 determines that theguide information is not included in the received data (step S508: NO),the signage terminal 90 notifies the user of an error message (stepS509) and the process ends. For example, this is the case when facematching fails.

In step S511, the signage terminal 90 determines whether or not a printrequest for the guide information has been received from the user. Whenthe signage terminal 90 determines that the print request for the guideinformation has been received (step S511: YES), the process proceeds tostep S512. On the other hand, when the signage terminal 90 determinesthat the print request for the guide information has not been received(step S511: NO), the process ends.

In step S512, the signage terminal 90 prints the guide informationdisplayed on the screen on a paper medium and the process ends.

FIG. 16 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed on thesignage terminal 90. The screen is shown that displays information toauthorized users about receiving trustee baggage. The screen includesinformation G1 that guides the user to the ID of the baggage claim,which is the baggage claim area, various information G2, and a printbutton B1 for the user to request printing of the information. Theinformation G1 includes the following message. “Your baggage will beconveyed to Baggage Claim A6.” The information G2 includes a currentlocation P1 of the user, a location P2 of the baggage claim, a map imageIMG-01 that guides the route, a current time, a start time to pick upthe baggage, a distance from the current location to the baggage claim,a required time for each means of transportation, and a degree ofcongestion at the entry inspection site.

Note that, information displayed on the signage terminal 90 is notlimited to these. For example, if the baggage has already been conveyedto the baggage claim, instead of the start time of pickup, it ispreferable to display the status (“Conveyance to the baggage claimcompleted”) indicating that pickup of the baggage has started, theremaining time until the pickup end, the elapsed time since the baggagehas already been conveyed to the baggage claim, or the like. Inaddition, if the baggage has not been conveyed to the baggage claim, itis preferable to display the status such as “before loading/unloadingoperations”, “loading/unloading operations completed”, “in conveyance”,“under inspection”, “under temporary storage”.

Conventionally, in order for the user to pick up the trustee baggage atthe arrival airport, the user needed to check an information boarddisposed in the airport, for example, using the flight number of theaircraft on the boarding pass as a clue, and move to the baggage claimof the destination. However, the size of the airport and the languageused at the destination vary. For this reason, it sometimes took timeand effort for users to pick up their trustee baggage after getting offthe aircraft.

On the other hand, according to the present example embodiment, the usercan know in advance the time until his/her baggage is conveyed to thebaggage claim while standing in front of the signage terminal 90 orperforming face authentificion while passing in front of the signageterminal 90. The user can move after sufficiently checking such as themeans of transportation, the required time, and the route to the baggageclaim. Thereby, the user can efficiently pick up the trustee baggage.

Second Example Embodiment

The information processing system according to the present exampleembodiment will be described below. Note that references common to thereferences given in the drawings of the first example embodiment referto the same objects. Description of the features common to those in thefirst example embodiment will be omitted, and different features will bedescribed in detail.

FIG. 17 is a diagram showing an example of information stored in thefirst baggage information DB 12 according to the present exampleembodiment. In addition, FIG. 18 is a diagram showing an example ofinformation stored in the second baggage information DB 13 according tothe present example embodiment. As shown in FIG. 17 and FIG. 18 , thefirst baggage information DB 12 and the second baggage information DB 13according to the present example embodiment further include a registeredbaggage image as a data item, unlike the case of the first exampleembodiment. The registered baggage image is an image that is capturedwhen the user deposited the trustee baggage at the departure airport andis registered in the management server 10.

FIG. 19 is a sequence chart showing an example of a process in thebaggage check-in procedure of the information processing systemaccording to the present example embodiment. The process of FIG. 19differs from the flowchart of FIG. 12 only in steps S601, S602 and S603.For this reason, the differences are explained below.

In step S601, the automatic baggage check-in machine 30 captures abaggage image of the trustee baggage that is deposited by the user.Then, the process proceeds to step S211.

In step S602, the automatic baggage check-in machine 30 transmits adatabase registration/update request to the management server 10. Dataof the database registration/update request data includes a user ID, atrustee baggage ID, and the baggage image.

In step S603, the management server 10 registers the baggage informationin the first baggage information DB based on the baggage ID and thebaggage image, and the process ends.

(Tracking Trustee Baggage at Arrival Airport)

FIG. 20 is a sequence chart showing an example of a process of theinformation processing system according to the present exampleembodiment during the conveyance of the trustee baggage in the airportA2 of the second country. This process is performed continuously duringbusiness hours at the airport A2.

First, the baggage conveyance apparatus 35 determines whether or not thesensor devices (not shown) installed in a dispersed manner on theconveyance path have detected the baggage being conveyed on the beltconveyor (step S701).

When the baggage conveyance apparatus 35 determines that the trusteebaggage has been detected (step S701: YES), the process proceeds to stepS702. On the other hand, when the baggage conveyance apparatus 35determines that the trustee baggage has not been detected (step S701:NO), the process of step S701 is repeated.

In step S702, the baggage conveyance apparatus 35 captures a baggageimage of the trustee baggage from above, for example.

Next, the baggage conveyance apparatus 35 transmits a matching requestfor matching with the baggage image and a database update request to themanagement server 10 (step S703). Data of the matching request includesthe baggage image. Data of the database update request includes thelocation ID, which indicates the location where the trustee baggage isdetected.

Next, the management server 10 performs a one-to-N image matchingbetween the baggage image received from the baggage conveyance apparatus35 and the registered baggage image stored in the second baggageinformation DB 13 (step S704).

Next, the management server 10 determines whether the matching result ofthe image matching is a successful matching (step S705). When themanagement server 10 determines that the matching result is a successfulmatching (step S705: YES), the process proceeds to step S706.

On the other hand, when the management server 10 determines that thematching result is an unsuccessful matching (step S705: NO), the processproceeds to step S707.

In step S706, the management server 10 updates the second baggageinformation DB 13 based on the trustee baggage ID specified by thematching process in step S704 and the location ID received from thebaggage conveyance apparatus 35.

In step S707, the management server 10 transmits error informationindicating that the baggage whose owner is unknown is being conveyed tothe operation terminal 95 used by a staff of airport and the processends. The error information includes, for example, the location ID andthe baggage image.

(Information Related to Picking Up Trustee Baggage)

FIG. 21 is a sequence chart showing an example of a guide process ofbaggage information in the airport A2 of the second country performed bythe information processing system according to the present exampleembodiment. The process of FIG. 21 differs from the flowchart of FIG. 15in the first example embodiment in steps S801 and S802.

In step S801, the management server 10 refers to the required timeinformation DB 14 based on the location ID indicating the currentlocation of the user and the identified baggage claim ID. Then, themanagement server 10 generates guide information including such as themeans of transportation, the required time, the route to the baggageclaim, and the baggage image.

In step S802, the management server 10 transmits the matching result andguide information to the signage terminal 90. When the result of thematching process in step S504 is an unsuccessful matching, the guideinformation is not created, so the management server 10 transmits onlythe matching result indicating the unsuccessful matching. Then, theprocess proceeds to step S508.

FIG. 22 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed on thesignage terminal 90 according to the present example embodiment. Here,the screen is shown that displays information related to picking up thetrustee baggage to authorized users. The screen includes information G3which guides the user to the ID of the baggage claim which is thelocation of baggage claim, various information G4, a baggage imageIMG-03 of the baggage deposited by the user at the departure airport,and a print button B2 for the user to request printing of theinformation. The information G3 includes the following message. “Yourbaggage will be conveyed to Baggage Claim A6.” The guide information G4includes a current location P3 of the user, a location P4 of the baggageclaim, a map image IMG-02 that guides the route, a current time, a starttime to pick up the baggage, a distance from the current location to thebaggage claim, a required time for each means of transportation, adegree of congestion at the entry inspection site, or the like.

Information displayed on the signage terminal 90 is not limited tothese. For example, when the baggage has already been conveyed to thebaggage claim, instead of the start time of pickup, it is preferable todisplay a status (“Conveyance to the baggage claim completed”)indicating that the pickup of the baggage has started, a remaining timeuntil the pickup ends, an elapsed time since the baggage had beenconveyed to the baggage claim or the like. In addition, when the baggagehas not been conveyed to the baggage claim, it is preferable to displaya status such as “before loading/unloading operations”,“loading/unloading operations completed, “in conveyance”, “underinspection”, “under temporary storage”, or the like.

According to the present example embodiment, as in the case of the firstexample embodiment, since the user can move after sufficiently checkingsuch as the means of transportation, the required time, and the route tothe baggage claim. Thereby, the user can efficiently pick up the trusteebaggage. The user can also check whether or not the displayed baggage ishis/her baggage.

Third Example Embodiment

The information processing system according to the present exampleembodiment will be described below. Note that references common to thereferences given in the drawings of the first and second exampleembodiment refer to the same objects. Description of the features commonto those in the first and second example embodiment will be omitted, anddifferent features will be described in detail.

The information processing system according to the present exampleembodiment differs from the first and second example embodiment. Thedifference is that the system further includes a function for confirmingwhether or not a combination of the user and the baggage carried by theuser at the customs inspection site of the second country matches acombination of a person who deposited the baggage in the first countryand the trustee baggage.

FIG. 23 is a schematic diagram showing an appearance of an entrance gateterminal 81 and an exit gate terminal 82 constituting the automaticcustoms gate apparatus 80. FIG. 24 is a block diagram showing an exampleof a hardware configuration of the entrance gate terminal 81. FIG. 25 isa block diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of theexit gate terminal 82.

The automatic customs gate apparatus 80 is an electronic gate thatallows or restricts passage based on such as a result of face matching.A user U who is allowed to pass through the gate can exit the customsinspection area and enter the second country. A users U who is notallowed to pass through the gate are dealt with individually. Forexample, the user U is subjected to a face-to-face customs inspection bya staff at a manned booth.

As shown in FIG. 23 , the entrance gate terminal 81 and the exit gateterminal 82 constituting the automatic customs gate apparatus 80 areinstalled at the entrance and exit of the gate passage P through whichthe user U is to pass, respectively. In the gate passage P, for example,partition plates, walls, fences, inspection tables, or the like areinstalled on both sides along the gate passage P. Such as the partitionplates restrict the the user U who enters the gate passage P to exitfrom an exit gate terminal other than the exit gate terminal 82.

As shown in FIG. 23 , the entrance gate terminal 81 is a gate deviceinstalled at the entrance of the gate passage P through which the user Upasses. As shown in FIG. 24 , the entrance gate terminal 81 includes aCPU 811, a RAM 812, a ROM 813, a storage 814, a communication I/F 815,an entrance gate door 818, a passage detection sensor 819, and a guideindicator 820. Respective devices are connected to each other via a bus,a wiring, a drive device, or the like.

The entrance gate doors 818 are open/close doors that perform an openingoperation and a closing operation under the control of the CPU 811 andtransition between an opened state to permit passage of the user and aclosed state to block passage of the user. The opening and closingscheme of the entrance gate doors 818 is not particularly limited andmay be, for example, a flapper type, a slide type, a revolving type, orthe like.

In response to detecting passage of the user, each the passage detectionsensor 819 outputs an output signal indicating the passage of the userU. The CPU 811 can determine whether or not the user U has passedthrough the entrance gate terminal 81 and entered the gate passage Pbased on the output signals from the plurality of the passage detectionsensors 819 and the output order of the output signals. The gate passageP is an area between the entrance gate terminal 81 and the exit gateterminal 82.

The guide indicator 820 displays an indication indicating whether topermit entry the gate passage P under the control of the CPU 811. Whenthe entrance gate doors 818 are in an opened state, the guide indicator820 displays an indication indicating that entry to the gate passage Pis permitted. Further, when the entrance gate doors 818 are in a closedstate, the guide indicator 820 displays an indication indicating thatentry to the gate passage P is prohibited. The guide indicator 820 candisplay an indication indicating whether to permit entry to the gatepassage P by using a color indication, a symbol indication, a textindication, or the like, for example.

As shown in FIG. 25 , the exit gate terminal 82 includes a CPU 821, aRAM 822, a ROM 823, a storage 824, a communication I/F 825, a displaydevice 826, an exit gate door 828, a passage detection sensor 829, aguide display 830, a first camera 831, a second camera 832, and a mediumreading device 833. Respective devices are connected to each other via abus, a wiring, a drive device, or the like.

The exit gate doors 828 are open/close doors that performs an openingoperation and a closing operation under the control of the CPU andtransitions between a closed state to block passage of the user U and anopened state to permit passage of the user U.

The first camera 831 is a long-range camera that has a capturable rangein at least the inside of the gate passage P and can capture a moredistant location than the second camera 832. The second camera 832 is ashort-range camera that has a capturable range in at least a front areaof the exit gate terminal 82. Note that the locations where the firstcamera 831 and the second camera 832 are provided are not particularlylimited and may be any location that can realize respective capturableranges.

The medium reading device 833 reads the tag information from the baggagetag attached to the baggage carried by the user U. Examples of themedium reading device 833 include a contactless integrated circuit (IC)reader, a code reader, and an optical character reader (OCR) device. Inthe present example embodiment, the baggage tag BT shown in FIG. 23 isan RFID tag, and the medium reading device 833 is an RFID tag reader.

FIG. 26 is a block diagram showing an example of a hardwareconfiguration of the operation terminal 95. The operation terminal 95includes a CPU 951, a RAM 952, a ROM 953, a storage 954, a communicationI/F 955, a display device 956, an input device 957, a biometricinformation acquisition device 958, a medium reading device 959, and acamera 960 as computers for performing operations, control, and storage.The camera 960 is a digital camera having, for example, a complementarymetal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) image sensor, a charge coupled device(CCD) image sensor or the like as light receiving elements. The camera960 in the present example embodiment captures the baggage carried bythe user and generates an image of the baggage. Respective devices areconnected to each other via a bus, a wiring, a drive device, or thelike.

FIG. 27 is a sequence chart showing an example of a process in theinformation processing system. This process is performed when a user whohas completed the entry inspection procedure undergoes the customsinspection procedure. The following describes a process when the user isin the gate passage P between the entrance gate door 818 (entrance gateterminal 81) and the exit gate door 828 (exit gate terminal 82) of theautomatic customs gate apparatus 80.

First, when the automatic customs gate apparatus 80 detects the face ofthe user by the first camera 831 and the second camera 832, theautomatic customs gate apparatus 80 captures a face image of the user(step S901).

Next, the automatic customs gate apparatus 80 reads the tag informationfrom the baggage tag attached to the baggage carried by the user usingthe medium reading device 833 (step S902).

Next, the automatic customs gate apparatus 80 transmits a matchingrequest including the face image of the user (target face image) and taginformation to the management server 10 (step S903). In this way, theautomatic customs gate apparatus 80 requests the management server 10 toperform a one-to-N matching between the target face image of the userand a plurality of registered face images registered in the userinformation DB 11 of the management server 10.

Upon receiving the matching request from the automatic customs gateapparatus 80, the management server 10 performs the one-to N facematching between the target face image of the user and the registeredface image (step S904). When the matching result is a successfulmatching, the management server 10 acquires user information associatedwith the registered face image from the user information DB 11 (stepS905). The user information includes the user ID and the trustee baggageID of the trustee baggage actually deposited by the user.

Next, the management server 10 acquires user information from the userinformation DB 11 using the trustee baggage ID included in the receivedtag information as a key (step S906). This user information includes theuser ID of the person who deposited the trustee baggage, i.e., the ownerof the trustee baggage.

Next, the management server 10 compares the combination of the user andthe trustee baggage specified in step S905 with the combination of theowner and the trustee baggage specified in step S906 and determineswhether or not the combination of the user and the baggage carried bythe user is correct (step S907).

Specifically, when the user is the same person as the registrant and thetrustee baggage ID of the baggage carried by the user is the same as thetrustee baggage ID associated with the registrant, the management server10 determines that the combination of the user and the baggage iscorrect. On the other hand, when the user is authenticated as the sameperson as the registrant and the trustee baggage ID of the baggagecarried by the user is not the same as the trustee baggage ID associatedwith the registrant, the management server 10 determines that thecombination of the user and the baggage is incorrect. Note that, whenthe user could not be authenticated in step S904, the user informationcould not be acquired. Therefore, in this case, the process of step S906is omitted. In addition, the process of steps S906 to S907 may bereplaced by a process to determine whether or not the trustee baggage IDacquired in step S905 is the same as the trustee baggage ID included inthe tag information.

Next, the management server 10 transmits the matching result in stepS904, the user information, and the determination result in step S906 tothe automatic customs gate apparatus 80 (step S908).

Upon receiving the matching result and the determination result from themanagement server 10, the automatic customs gate apparatus 80 determineswhether or not the customs inspection procedure of the user can beperformed (step S909). Specifically, a condition for performing thecustoms inspection procedure is that the user is certified as the sameperson as the registrant and that the combination of the user and thebaggage carried by the user is correct.

When the automatic customs gate apparatus 80 determined that the customsinspection procedure of the user can not be performed (step S909: NO),the automatic customs gate apparatus 80 notifies the user of an errormessage (step S910) and the process ends. The error messages differbetween errors related to identity verification and those related tobaggage carried by the user.

On the other hand, when the automatic customs gate apparatus 80determines that the customs inspection procedure of the user can beperformed (step S909: YES), the process proceeds to step S911.

In step S911, the automatic customs gate apparatus 80 performs thecustoms inspection procedure of the user based on the user information.

Next, the automatic customs gate apparatus 80 determines whether or notthe user satisfies the predetermined entry requirements into the country(step S912). When the automatic customs gate apparatus 80 determinesthat the user does not satisfy the predetermined entry requirements intothe country (step S912: NO), the automatic customs gate apparatus 80notifies the user of an error message such as “Please undergo customsinspection procedure at a manned counter.” (step S913) and the processends.

On the other hand, when the automatic customs gate apparatus 80determines that the user satisfies the predetermined entry requirementsinto the country (step S912: YES), the automatic customs gate apparatus80 opens the exit gate door 828 (step S914). In this way, the user isallowed to enter the second country.

Next, the automatic customs gate apparatus 80 transmits a databaseupdate request to the management server 10 (step S915). Data of theupdate request includes, for example, the user ID and the trusteebaggage ID.

When the management server 10 receives the update request from theautomatic customs gate apparatus 80, the management server 10 updatesthe status in the user information DB 11 and the second baggageinformation DB 13 (step S916) and the process ends.

FIG. 28 is a diagram showing an example of the screen displayed on theexit gate terminal 82. Here, the display device 826 displays a messageG5 for guidance to the user regarding the mix-up of baggage, an imageIMG-04 of a baggage deposited by the user at the time of departure, andan image IMG-05 of a baggage carried by the user at the time of customsinspection. The message G5 is as follows. “You may have the wrongbaggage. Our staff will be with you shortly, so please wait.”

The process shown in FIG. 27 is not limited to the automatic customsgate apparatus 80, but can also be performed on the operation terminal95 used by a staff at the customs inspection site. In this case, theterm “automatic customs gate apparatus” in the explanation of FIG. 27may be replaced with “operation terminal”.

FIG. 29 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed on theoperation terminal 95. Here, the display device 956 displays a messageG6 urging the staff to check the baggage, user information G7, andbaggage information G8 are displayed on. The message G6 is as follows.“The baggage carried by the user is different from the baggage that wasdeposited by the user in the country of departure. Please check thebaggage as the user may have the wrong baggage.” The baggage informationG8 includes, a registered face image IMG-06 of the user, an image IMG-07of a baggage deposited by the user at the time of departure, and animage IMG-08 of a baggage carried by the user at the time of customsinspection.

According to the present example embodiment, even if the user mistakenlypicks up another person's baggage in the baggage claim, it can bereliably detected at the customs inspection site. Since the owner of thebaggage carried by the user can also be specified, the user (owner) canbe sure to pick up the trustee baggage.

Fourth Example Embodiment

In the third embodiment described above, the correct or incorrectcombination of the user and the baggage carried by the user isdetermined based on the tag information. On the other hand, the presentexample embodiment differs from the third embodiment in that the corrector incorrect combination of the user and the baggage is determined bymatching the baggage image at the time of depositing with the baggageimage at the time of inspection.

FIG. 30 is a sequence chart showing an example of a process in thecustoms inspection procedure of the information processing systemaccording to the present example embodiment. This process is differentfor steps S1001 to S1006 from FIG. 27 and is common for step S908onward. For this reason, the differences are explained below.

In step S1001, the automatic customs gate apparatus 80 acquires a faceimage of a user and a baggage image of a baggage carried by the user.

In step S1002, the automatic customs gate apparatus 80 transmits amatching request including the face image and the baggage image to themanagement server 10.

In step S1003, upon receiving the matching request from the automaticcustoms gate apparatus 80, the management server 10 performs a one-to-Nface matching between the target face image of the user and a registeredface image.

In step S1004, when the matching result is a successful matching, themanagement server 10 acquires user information associated with theregistered face image from the user information DB 11. Moreover, themanagement server 10 acquires the registered baggage image from thesecond baggage information DB 13 using a trustee baggage ID included inthe user information as a key.

In step S1005, the management server 10 performs a image matchingbetween the baggage image captured at the customs inspection site andthe registered baggage image registered in the first country.

In step S1006, the management server 10 determines whether or not thecombination of the user and the baggage carried by the user is correctbased on the result of the face matching in step S1003 and the result ofthe image matching in step S1005. Then, the process proceeds to stepS908.

Specifically, when the user is the same person as the registrant and thebaggage image of the baggage carried by the user matches the registeredbaggage image of the trustee baggage associated with the registrant, themanagement server 10 determines that the combination of the user and thebaggage is correct. On the other hand, when the user is authenticated asthe same person as the registrant and the baggage image of the baggagecarried by the user does not match the registered baggage image of thebaggage associated with the registrant, the management server 10determines that the combination of the user and the baggage isincorrect. Note that, when the user could not be authenticated in stepS1003, the registered baggage image could not be acquired from thesecond baggage information DB 13 using the trustee baggage ID includedin the user information as a key. Therefore, in this case, theprocessing in step S1006 is omitted.

According to the present example embodiment, the captured baggage imageof the baggage carried by the user at the customs inspection site (touchpoint TP7) of the second country is matched with the image of theregistered baggage deposited by the user at the baggage check-in point(touch point TP2) of the first country. Thus, in addition to the sameeffect as in the third embodiment, it is not necessary to attach thebaggage tag to the baggage, and the owner of the baggage can beidentified even if the baggage tag is broken or lost during theconveyance of the baggage.

Fifth Example Embodiment

In the third and fourth embodiment described above, the case ofautomatically determining the correct or incorrect combination of theuser and the baggage carried by the user was explained. On the otherhand, the present example embodiment differs from the third and fourthembodiments in that the combination of the user and the baggagedeposited at the first country by the user, that is, the correctcombination of the user and the baggage, is displayed on the operationterminal 95 to assist the staff in the confirmation work.

FIG. 31 is a sequence chart showing an example of a process in thecustoms inspection procedure of the information processing systemaccording to the present example embodiment.

First, the operation terminal 95 captures a face image fo the user withthe biometric information acquisition device 958, and captures a baggageimage of a baggage carried by the user with the camera 960 (step S1101).

Next, the operation terminal 95 reads the tag information from thebaggage tag attached to the baggage carried by the user using the mediumreading device 959 (step S1102).

Next, the operation terminal 95 transmits a matching request including aface image (target face image) of the user and tag information to themanagement server 10 (step S1103). Accordingly, the operation terminal95 requests the management server 10 to perform a one-to-N matchingbetween the target face image of the user and a plurality of registeredface images registered in the user information DB 11 of the managementserver 10.

Upon receiving the matching request from the operation terminal 95, themanagement server 10 perform the one-to-N matching between the targetface image of the user and the registered face image (step S1104). Whenthe matching result is a successful matching, the management server 10extracts the user information associated with the registered face imagefrom the user information DB 11. The user information includes the userID and the trustee baggage ID of the trustee baggage actually depositedby the user.

Next, the management server 10 acquires user information from the userinformation DB 11 using the trustee baggage ID included in the receivedtag information as a key (step S1105). This user information includesthe user ID of the person who deposited the trustee baggage, i.e., theowner of the trustee baggage.

Next, the management server 10 transmits a matching result in step S1104and the user information to the operation terminal 95 (step S1106).

Upon receiving the matching result from the management server 10, theoperation terminal 95 determines whether or not a face authenticationrelated to the user has succeeded (step S1107).

When the operation terminal 95 determines that the face authenticationrelated to the user has not succeeded (step S1107: NO), the operationterminal 95 notifies the user of an error message (step S1108) and theprocess ends.

On the other hand, when the operation terminal 95 determines that theface authentication related to the user has succeeded (step S1107: YES),the process proceeds to step S1109.

In step S1109, the operation terminal 95 displays the registered faceimage included in the user information received from the managementserver 10 on the display device 956. The operation terminal 95 displaysthe face image of the owner of the baggage carried by the user. In thisway, the operation terminal 95 makes a staff determine whether or notthe user who undergoes the customs inspection procedure is the sameperson as the owner of the baggage. When the staff determines that theuser is the same person as the owner and that the combination of theuser and the baggage carried by the user is correct, the processproceeds to step S1110.

Next, the operation terminal 95 performs the customs inspectionprocedure on the user based on the user information (step S1110).

Next, the operation terminal 95 determines whether or not the usersatisfies the predetermined entry requirements into the country (stepS1111). When the operation terminal 95 determines that the user does notsatisfy the predetermined entry requirements into the country (stepS1111: NO), the operation terminal 95 notifies the staff of an errormessage such as “The entry requirements into the country are notsatisfied” (step S1112) and the process ends.

On the other hand, when the operation terminal 95 determines that theuser satisfies the predetermined entry requirements into the country(step S1111: YES), the user can enter the second country.

Next, the operation terminal 95 transmits a database update request tothe management server 10 (step S1113). Data of the update requestincludes, for example, a user ID and a trustee baggage ID.

Upon receiving the update request from the operation terminal 95, themanagement server 10 updates the status in the user information DB 11and the second baggage information DB 13 (step S1114) and the processends.

FIG. 32 is a diagram showing an example of the screen displayed on theoperation terminal 95. The display device 956 displays a message G9urging the a staff to check the baggage, user information G10, andcarry-on baggage information G11. The message G9 is as follows. “Pleasecheck that the user is the same person as the owner of the baggage.” Theuser information G10 includes a registered face image IMG-09 of a userwho undergoes the customs inspection procedure. On the other hand, thecarry-on baggage information G11 includes a face image IMG-10 of theowner of the baggage carried by the user, and an image IMG-11 of thebaggage carried by the user at the customs inspection procedure.

According to the present example embodiment, by displaying the faceimage of the owner of the baggage on the operation terminal 95, it ispossible to efficiently support the confirmation work of the staffregarding the correct or incorrect combination of the user and thebaggage carried by the user.

Sixth Example Embodiment

In the fifth embodiment described above, the face image of the owner ofthe baggage is acquired based on the tag information, and the face imageis displayed on the screen for the staff. On the other hand, the presentexample embodiment differs from the fifth embodiment in that, based onthe result of face matching between the face image of the user capturedat the customs inspection site and the registered face image, the useracquires the baggage image of the baggage actually deposited at thefirst country and displays the baggage image on the screen for thestaff.

FIG. 33 is a sequence chart showing an example of a process in thecustoms inspection procedure of the information processing systemaccording to the present example embodiment. This process is the same asthat in FIG. 31 except for steps S1201 to S1206. For this reason, thedifferences are explained below.

In step S1201, the management server 10 acquires user informationassociated with the registered face image from the user information DB11 when the matching result of the face matching in step S1104 is asuccessful matching. The user information includes the user ID and thetrustee baggage ID of the trustee baggage actually deposited by theuser.

In step S1202, the management server 10 acquires a registered baggageimage from the second baggage information DB 13 using the trusteebaggage ID included in the received tag information as a key.

In step S1203, the management server 10 transmits the matching result,user information, and the registered baggage image to the operationterminal 95.

In step S1204, upon receiving the matching result from the managementserver 10, the operation terminal 95 determines whether or not a faceauthentication related to the user has succeeded.

When the operation terminal 95 determines that the face authenticationrelated to the user has failed (step S1204: NO), the operation terminal95 notifies the user of an error message (step S1205) and the processends.

On the other hand, when the operation terminal 95 determines that theface authentication related to the user has succeeded (step S1204: YES),the process proceeds to step S1206.

In step S1206, the operation terminal 95 displays the registered baggageimage received from the management server 10 on the display device 956.The operation terminal 95 may further display the baggage image acquiredin step S1101 on the display device 956 as a comparison target with theregistered baggage image. By displaying the registered baggage image ofthe baggage actually deposited by the user in the first country, theoperation terminal 95 allows the staff to determine whether or not thebaggage deposited by the user in the first country is the same as thebaggage carried by the user in the second country. when the staffdetermines that the baggage is the same as the trustee baggage and thatthe combination of the user and the baggage carried by the user iscorrect, the process proceeds to step S1110.

FIG. 34 is a diagram showing an example of the screen displayed on theoperation terminal 95. The display device 956 displays a message G12,user information G13, and carry-on baggage information G14 urging thestaff to check the baggage. The message G12 is as follows. “Please checkwhether the baggage carried by the user is the same as the trusteebaggage that was deposited by the user in the first country.” The userinformation G13 includes a registered face image IMG-12 of a user whoundergoes the customs inspection procedure, and an image IMG-13 of atrustee baggage deposited at the first country. On the other hand, thecarry-on baggage information G14 includes an image IMG-14 of the baggagecarried by the user at the customs inspection procedure.

According to the present example embodiment, by displaying on theoperation terminal 95 the image of the baggage actually deposited at thefirst country by the user who is undergoing the customs inspectionprocedure, it is possible to efficiently support the staff in theconfirmation work related to the correct or incorrect combination of theuser and the baggage carried by the user.

Seventh Example Embodiment

FIG. 35 is a functional block diagram of the information processingapparatus according to the present example embodiment. The informationprocessing apparatus 100 includes a biometric information acquisitionunit 100A, a biometric matching unit 100B, and a guide unit 100C. Thebiometric information acquisition unit 100A acquires biometricinformation of a user at an arrival airport. The biometric matching unit100B performs a matching process of the biometric information withregistered biometric information of a registrant who deposited a baggagewith the airline at a departure airport. The guide unit 100C outputsguide information including a location of pickup in the arrival airportand a start time of pickup of the baggage associated with the registeredbiometric information to the user who is authenticated as the sameperson as the registrant by the matching process.

According to the present example embodiment, an information processingapparatus 100 is provided which enables users to efficiently pick uptheir baggage at the arrival airport.

Modified Example Embodiments

Although the disclosure has been described above with reference to theexample embodiments, the disclosure is not limited to the exampleembodiments described above. Various modifications that may beunderstood by those skilled in the art can be made to the configurationand details of the disclosure within the scope not departing from thespirit of the disclosure. For example, it should be understood that anexample embodiment in which a part of the configuration of any of theexample embodiments is added to another example embodiment or an exampleembodiment in which a part of the configuration of any of the exampleembodiments is replaced with a part of another example embodiment isalso one of the example embodiments to which the disclosure may beapplied.

In the first and second example embodiment described above, thenotification destination (output destination) of the guide informationis limited to the signage terminal 90 installed at the airport, but thenotification destination is not limited to this. By associating thecontact information of a user terminal carried by the user with theboarding reservation information of the user, the guide information maybe notified to the user terminal.

For example, when a user stands in front of the signage terminal 90 andthe user is identified as the same person as the registrant by faceauthentication, the guide information may be transmitted by such as ane-mail to the contact information of the mobile terminal (user terminal)associated with the user ID.

In addition, in the first and second example embodiment described above,it is described that the guide information related to the pickup of thetrustee baggage is provided by printing it on the paper medium or bydisplaying on the screen (See FIG. 16 , FIG. 22 ). However, the methodto provide the guide information is not limited to these. For example,the signage terminal 90 may provide the guide information to the user bydisplaying a code such as a two-dimensional code recording guideinformation. In this case, the user can easily capture the code using asmartphone to store the guide information in the smartphone.

It is also preferable to configure the system so that the displaylanguage of the guide information can be switched for each user. Forexample, by including attribute information related to the nativelanguage of the user in the user information of the user who isidentified by face authentication, the guide information including thelocation and start time of pickup can be displayed in the nativelanguage of the user, thereby, the convenience can be improved.

In the fourth embodiment described above, it is described that themanagement server 10 matches the baggage image of the baggage carried bythe user with the registered baggage image registered in advance in thesecond baggage information DB 13 related to the user after the matchingprocess of the face image. However, the order of the face image matchingprocess and the baggage image matching process may be reversed.Specifically, the management server 10 performs the one-to-N matchingbetween the baggage image and the registered baggage image registered inthe second baggage information DB 13 and specifies the trustee baggageID of a baggage matched with the baggage image. Next, the managementserver 10 acquires the registered face image of the owner from the userinformation DB 11 using the trustee baggage ID as a key. Then, themanagement server 10 performs a one-to-one matching between the faceimage of the user and the registered face image of the owner. Thus, asin the case of the fourth embodiment, the correct or incorrectcombination of the user and the baggage can be automatically determined.

In the above sixth embodiment, the image of the trustee baggagedeposited by the user in the first country is displayed on the operationterminal 95, but instead of the image or together with the image,information indicating the appearance features such as color, size andshape of the trustee baggage may be displayed.

In the fifth embodiment described above, it is described that theoperation terminal 95 displays the registered face image of theregistrant (owner) associated with the trustee baggage ID included inthe read tag information and makes the staff determine whether or notthe user is the same person as the owner of the baggage. However, as inthe fourth embodiment, it may be configured to acquire the baggage imageof the baggage carried by the user. In this case, the management server10 can acquire the face image of the owner and output the face image tothe operation terminal 95 by image matching between the baggage imageacquired from the operation terminal 95 and the registered baggage imageregistered in the second baggage information DB 13.

The scope of each of the example embodiments also includes a processingmethod that stores, in a storage medium, a program that causes theconfiguration of each of the example embodiments to operate so as toimplement the function of each of the example embodiments describedabove, reads the program stored in the storage medium as a code, andexecutes the program in a computer. That is, the scope of each of theexample embodiments also includes a computer readable storage medium.Further, each of the example embodiments includes not only the storagemedium in which the program described above is stored but also theindividual program itself.

As the storage medium, for example, a floppy (registered trademark)disk, a hard disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, a CD-ROM, amagnetic tape, a nonvolatile memory card, or the like can be used.Further, the scope of each of the example embodiments also includes anexample that operates on OS to perform a process in cooperation withanother software or a function of an add-in board without being limitedto an example that performs a process by an individual program stored inthe storage medium.

The whole or part of the example embodiments disclosed above can bedescribed as, but not limited to, the following supplementary notes.

Supplementary Note 1

An information processing apparatus comprising:

-   -   a biometric information acquisition unit that acquires biometric        information of a user at an arrival airport;    -   a biometric matching unit that performs a matching process of        the biometric information with registered biometric information        of a registrant who deposited a baggage with the airline at a        departure airport; and    -   a guide unit that outputs guide information including a location        of pickup in the arrival airport and a start time of pickup of        the baggage associated with the registered biometric information        to the user who is authenticated as the same person as the        registrant by the matching process.

Supplementary Note 2

The information processing apparatus according to supplementary note 1,further comprising:

-   -   a specifying unit that specifies a location of the baggage based        on information acquired by an equipment that is installed on a        conveyance route of the baggage in the arrival airport.

Supplementary Note 3

The information processing apparatus according to supplementary note 2,further comprising:

-   -   a tag information acquisition unit that acquires tag information        read by the equipment from a radio tag attached to the baggage,    -   wherein the specifying unit specifies the location of the        baggage based on the location of the equipment and the tag        information.

Supplementary Note 4

The information processing apparatus according to supplementary note 2,further comprising:

-   -   an image matching unit that performs a matching process of a        baggage image of the baggage captured by the equipment on the        conveyance route with a registered baggage image of the baggage        captured at the departure airport,    -   wherein the specifying unit specifies the location of the        baggage for the baggage based on the location of the equipment        and a matching result of the baggage image with the registered        baggage image.

Supplementary Note 5

The information processing apparatus according to any one ofsupplementary notes 2 to 4,

-   -   wherein the guide unit outputs the guide information including        the location of the baggage.

Supplementary Note 6

The information processing apparatus according to any one ofsupplementary notes 1 to 5, further comprising;

-   -   a location acquisition unit that acquires information of a        location of the user in the arrival airport,    -   wherein the guide unit outputs the guide information including a        required time for the user to move from the location of the user        to the location of pickup.

Supplementary Note 7

The information processing apparatus according to supplementary note 6,

-   -   wherein the guide unit outputs the required time for the        available means of transportation for moving from the location        of the user to the location of pickup.

Supplementary Note 8

The information processing apparatus according to supplementary note 6or 7,

-   -   wherein the guide unit outputs the guide information including a        map including a route from the location of the user to the        location of pickup.

Supplementary Note 9

The information processing apparatus according to any one ofsupplementary notes 6 to 8,

-   -   wherein the guide unit outputs the guide information including a        congestion situation at a location of a procedure that is        imposed on the user when the user moves from the location of the        user to the location of pickup.

Supplementary Note 10

The information processing apparatus according to any one ofsupplementary notes 1 to 9,

-   -   wherein the guide unit changes a display language of the guide        information based on attribute information of the registrant        associated with the registered biometric information.

Supplementary Note 11

The information processing apparatus according to any one ofsupplementary notes 1 to 10,

-   -   wherein the guide unit outputs the guide information to a        display terminal installed within an area from an arrival gate        of an aircraft to the location of pickup.

Supplementary Note 12

The information processing apparatus according to supplementary note 11,

-   -   wherein the guide unit outputs print data for printing the guide        information on a paper medium to the display terminal.

Supplementary Note 13

The information processing apparatus according to any one ofsupplementary notes 1 to 11,

-   -   wherein the guide unit outputs the guide information to a        terminal carried by the user.

Supplementary Note 14

The information processing apparatus according to any one ofsupplementary notes 1 to 13,

-   -   wherein the biometric information acquisition unit further        acquires the second biometric information of the user who        deposited the baggage at the departure airport,    -   wherein the biometric matching unit further performs a biometric        matching of the second biometric information with the registered        biometric information, and    -   the information processing apparatus further comprising a        processing unit that associates the baggage with the registered        biometric information when the matching result of the second        biometric information with the registered biometric information        is successful.

Supplementary Note 15

The information processing apparatus according to any one ofsupplementary notes 1 to 14,

-   -   wherein the registered biometric information is any one of a        face image, a fingerprint image, and an iris image.

Supplementary Note 16

An information processing method comprising:

-   -   acquiring biometric information of a user at an arrival airport;    -   performing a matching process of the biometric information with        registered biometric information of a registrant who deposited a        baggage with the airline at a departure airport; and    -   outputting guide information including a location of pickup in        the arrival airport and a start time of pickup of the baggage        associated with the registered biometric information to the user        who is authenticated as the same person as the registrant by the        matching process.

Supplementary Note 17

A storage medium that stores a program for causing a computer toperform:

-   -   acquiring biometric information of a user at an arrival airport;    -   performing a matching process of the biometric information with        registered biometric information of a registrant who deposited a        baggage with the airline at a departure airport; and    -   outputting guide information including a location of pickup in        the arrival airport and a start time of pickup of the baggage        associated with the registered biometric information to the user        who is authenticated as the same person as the registrant by the        matching process.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST

-   -   NW1, NW2 network    -   1 first airport system    -   2 second airport system    -   10 management server    -   11 user information DB    -   12 first baggage information DB    -   13 second baggage information DB    -   14 required time information DB    -   20 check-in terminal    -   30 automatic baggage check-in machine    -   35 baggage conveyance apparatus    -   40 security inspection apparatus    -   50 first automated gate apparatus    -   60 boarding gate apparatus    -   70 second automated gate apparatus    -   80 automatic customs gate apparatus    -   81 entrance gate terminal    -   82 exit gate terminal    -   90 signage terminal    -   95 operation terminal

What is claimed is:
 1. An information processing apparatus comprising: amemory configured to store instructions; and a processor configured toexecute the instructions to: acquire biometric information of a user atan arrival airport; perform a matching process of the biometricinformation with registered biometric information of a registrant whodeposited a baggage with the airline at a departure airport; and outputguide information including a location of pickup in the arrival airportand a start time of pickup of the baggage associated with the registeredbiometric information to the user who is authenticated as the sameperson as the registrant by the matching process.
 2. The informationprocessing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processor isfurther configured to execute the instructions to: specify a location ofthe baggage based on information acquired by an equipment that isinstalled on a conveyance route of the baggage in the arrival airport.3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, whereinthe processor is further configured to execute the instructions to:acquire tag information read by the equipment from a radio tag attachedto the baggage; and specify the location of the baggage based on thelocation of the equipment and the tag information.
 4. The informationprocessing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the processor isfurther configured to execute the instructions to: perform a matchingprocess of a baggage image of the baggage captured by the equipment onthe conveyance route with a registered baggage image of the baggagecaptured at the departure airport; and specify the location of thebaggage for the baggage based on the location of the equipment and amatching result of the baggage image with the registered baggage image.5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, whereinthe processor is further configured to execute the instructions tooutput the guide information including the location of the baggage. 6.The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein theprocessor is further configured to execute the instructions to; acquireinformation of a location of the user in the arrival airport; and outputthe guide information including a required time for the user to movefrom the location of the user to the location of pickup.
 7. Theinformation processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein theprocessor is further configured to execute the instructions to outputthe required time for the available means of transportation for the userto move from the location of the user to the location of pickup.
 8. Theinformation processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein theprocessor is further configured to execute the instructions to outputthe guide information including a map including a route from thelocation of the user to the location of pickup.
 9. The informationprocessing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the processor isfurther configured to execute the instructions to output the guideinformation including a congestion situation at a location of aprocedure that is imposed on the user when the user moves from thelocation of the user to the location of pickup.
 10. The informationprocessing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processor isfurther configured to execute the instructions to change a displaylanguage of the guide information based on attribute information of theregistrant associated with the registered biometric information.
 11. Theinformation processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein theprocessor is further configured to execute the instructions to outputthe guide information to a display terminal installed within an areafrom an arrival gate of an aircraft to the location of pickup.
 12. Theinformation processing apparatus according to claim 11, wherein theprocessor is further configured to execute the instructions to outputprint data for printing the guide information on a paper medium to thedisplay terminal.
 13. The information processing apparatus according toclaim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to execute theinstructions to output the guide information to a terminal carried bythe user.
 14. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1,wherein the processor is further configured to execute the instructionsto: acquire the second biometric information of the user who depositedthe baggage at the departure airport; perform a biometric matching ofthe second biometric information with the registered biometricinformation; and associate the baggage with the registered biometricinformation when the matching result of the second biometric informationwith the registered biometric information is successful.
 15. Theinformation processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein theregistered biometric information is any one of a face image, afingerprint image, and an iris image.
 16. An information processingmethod comprising: acquiring biometric information of a user at anarrival airport; performing a matching process of the biometricinformation with registered biometric information of a registrant whodeposited a baggage with the airline at a departure airport; andoutputting guide information including a location of pickup in thearrival airport and a start time of pickup of the baggage associatedwith the registered biometric information to the user who isauthenticated as the same person as the registrant by the matchingprocess.
 17. A non-transitory storage medium that stores a program forcausing a computer to perform: acquiring biometric information of a userat an arrival airport; performing a matching process of the biometricinformation with registered biometric information of a registrant whodeposited a baggage with the airline at a departure airport; andoutputting guide information including a location of pickup in thearrival airport and a start time of pickup of the baggage associatedwith the registered biometric information to the user who isauthenticated as the same person as the registrant by the matchingprocess.